Acoustical instrument.



' "L. LUMIE-RB, I AGOUSTIUAL INSTRUMENT; APPLIOATIOK FILED APB.. 20,1911.

1 ,077,536@ Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

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WITNESSES I UNITED sra rns PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS LUMIERE, F LYON, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR 'I'O VICTOR TALKING MACHINECOMPANY,

OF CAMDEN, NEVJ JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ACOUSTICAL INSTRUMENT.

Original application filed May 18, 1910,

To all whom it may concern 1 Be it known that' I, LOUIS LUMIERE, acitizen of the Republic of France, residing at Lyon, in the Republic ofFrance, have invented certain new and useful Improvements division of aprior 18, 1910, Serial microphones, stethoscopes, talking machines,

musical instruments, and in general any instrument used for thereception or transmission of sounds. I

The invention consists in a certain construction of sound box for suchinstruments, the details of which will be given below.

The essential features of the invention are an extensible chamber with astationary wall, a movable wall adapted to be reciproeated toward andaway from the stationary wall, and means between the two walls forpreventing the escape of air between them but allowing perfect freedomof the movable wall to move in unchanged form and to any extent that maybe practically required; According to this invention a sound box foracoustical instruments is obtained comprising a stationary wall, havingan opening therein for the passage of the sound waves,

,a movable wall adapted to be reci 'n'ocated f toward and away from thestationary wall,

and means between the edges of the movable wall and the stationary wallto prevent the escape of air between them, such means, however, leavingthe movable wall free to move as a whole in substantially unchanged formto any extent that may practically be reouired,. and offeringsubstantially no resistance to the movement of the movable wall whateverthe position of the latter with regard to the stationary wall, so thatthe position and movement of the movable wall is regulated entirely bythe soundwaves or means through which the movable wall is reciprocated.Further, according to this invention the whole of oneside of theextensible chamber moves, and not merely the central portion thereof,thus producing a more effective reproduction.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4., 1913.

Serial No. 581,928. Divided and this application filed April 20, SerialNo. 622,213.

In the accompanying drawings the invention 1s lllustrated as applied tothe sound box of a talking machine.

Figure l is a sectional elevational view ofvone construction of soundbox embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an end view of the movable membershown in Fig.- l and Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of a modifiedform of the movable member stiffened by suitable corrugations.

The sound boxes which are usually .employed in talking machines and manyother acoustical instruments are at present constructed with a chamberclosed upon'one side by means of a thin diaphragm held-at its edges.This diaphragm, which may be of glass, mica, metal or other suitablematerial, is set in vibration in the case of talking machines by meansof a suitable transmitting device connecting it with the needle orsapphire, which follows the groove in thedisk or cylinder carrying thephonogra-m. In

this arrangement, certain efiects due to the elasticity of the diaphra mand theformationof nodal lines ren er unnatural the quality of the soundobtained and limit the practical dimensions of the apparatus. The soundbox forming the subject of this invention does not present theseobject-ions, con sisting asit does of an extensible chamber closed uponits two opposite sides by rigid walls which can approach or recede fromone another. In the form of my invention illustrated in the figures ofthe drawings, the rigid-walls are mounted to slide one within the other,similar to a piston and the space between the two walls sotelescopically mounted is closed by a packing g, of any suitablematerial.

Under the action of the stylus following the phonographic sound line,the said walls are caused to approach or recede from one another, andthese movements produce variations of the pressure of the air within thesound box. It is these variations which are the essential cause of'theproduction of sound. The interior of the sound box so constructed may beconnected to an amplify- 'ing born as in other well known a paratus.

In the figures of the drawings oi this application is illustrated aconstruction in which the rigid sides a and b of the sound box areconnected together by means of a packing g preferably consisting of arubber ring adapted to roll between the cylindrical telescoping surfacesof the two sides a and b. The side a is stationary, its mass beingsufficient to give it considerable inertia, relative to the movablepartsof the sound box. The side 7, on the other hand, is very light, and

is connected with the stylus 0 by means of the" stvlus bar n whichamplifies the movement of the stylu The interior of the sound boxconnects with the amplifying horn of the talking machine through theopening f. The packing is so mounted and arranged as to be adapted torollbetween the cylindrical surfaces of the two sides a and Z), and ismade to lie lightly between the two said telescoping surfaces, so as'tobe only just in Contact therewith and at the same time etiect a completeclosure. The friction between the said rubber ring and contactingsurfaces is reduced to a minimum, owing to the rolling action of therubber ring between the two surfaces when the movable side 2 moves withrespect to the relatively stationary side or wall a. Moreover, theresistance to be over come is practically constant whatever the extentof the movement of the movable wall I). It is evident that any othersystem of movable joint offering no appreciable resistance may beemployed for attaining the same desired end.

In order to obtain simultaneously sufficient rigidity and lightness inthe movable side 7), so that it will reciprocate in practicallyunchanged form, it is found desirable to construct this side of verythin metal and to render it rigid by stamping it out in some such form.7

In Fig. 3 the side or movable wall I), .is shown as being stamped out ofsheet metal with radial corrugations h, in order to stiilcn it. thusproviding a relatively rigid mo able wall or section b, so that theentire movement. of the upper end of the stylus (I will be communicatedto the movable wall 7) and will operate to faithfully move the member 1)without absorbing any of the said motion by any yielding or springing ofthe vertical face of the member I).

It is to be notedthat while I have illustrated the massive side a assubstantially cylindrical in shape, and the movable side 6, alsocylindrical, it is of course to be understood that the two said partsmay be'given any suitable shape in cross section so longas the two will,properly slide over each other or move longitudinally of the axis of thesound box, relative to each other.

Having thus described my invention what I desire to protect by LettersPatent of the United States is: t

1. A sound box comprising a stationary wall, a movable wall and .a solidyielding annular packing arranged to roll between said ,wall r 2. Asound box for acoustical instruments comprising a wall, a diaphragmtelescoping with said wall, and a packing arranged to roll between saidwall and said diaphragn'i and rotated by the vibration of saiddiaphragm, and free to respond to all vibrations imposed.

3. A sound box for acoustical instruments comprising a wall and adiaphragm telescoping with said wall, and a yielding packing arranged toroll between said wall and said diaphragm and free to be rotated by thevibration of said diaphragm.

4. A, sound box, comprising a cylindrical stationary wall, a movablewall, and a packing arranged to roll between said walls, and maintain aconstant diameter.

' 5. A sound box, comprising a cylindrical stationary wall, a movablewall, and a packing arranged to roll between said walls, the movement ofthe packing being substantially one-half that of the movable wall.

6. A sound box, comprising a stationary wall, a movable wall, and anannular packing arranged to roll between said walls.

7. A sound box for acoustical instruments, comprising a wall, adiaphragm embracing said wall, and packing interposed between said walland diaphragm, free to roll and permit the entire diaphragm to pulsateuniformly.

8. A sound box for acoustical instruments, having a rigid wall, and amovable diaphragm having av flange embracing the edges of said wall, anda packing arranged to roll between said wall and diaphragm, and 'free tobe rotated by the vibration of said diaphragm. I

9. A sound box comprising acylindrical stationary wall. a diaphragm, anda packing arranged to roll between said wall and said diaphragm, saiddiaphragm being comparatively rigid and capable of being vibrated as awhole in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the diaphragm.

10. A sound box comprising a stationary wall. amovable wall, and a solidannular packing surrounding. one of said walls and surrounded by theother of said walls and arranged tp roll between said walls. I

11. A sound box comprising a stationary walha movable wall and a solidannular packing arranged to roll between said walls.

12. A sound box comprising a stationary wall, a movable wall and a solidyielding packing arranged to roll betweensaid walls.

13. A sound box comprising a cylindrical wall, a vibratory diaphragmprovided with a cylindrical wall telescoping with said first mentionedwall, and a solid annular packing arranged to roll between and incontact;

with said walls. i

14. -A sound box comprising a cylindrical wall, a diaphragm providedwith a cylindrical'wall, telescoping with said first mentioned wall, anda yielding solid annular packing arranged to roll between andin contactwith said walls.

15. A sound box comprising a cylindrical wall, a diaphragm provided witha cylindrical wall, the vibration of said diaphragm causing a relativetelescopic movement between said walls, and a yielding annular solidpacking substantially circular in transverse section betweenandcontacting with said'cylindrical walls.

16. A sound box comprising a cylindrical relatively stationary wall, acomparatively rigid diaphragm provided with a marginal cylindrical wall,telescoping with said first mentioned cylindrical wall, and a yieldingsolid annular packing substantially circular in transverse sectionarranged to roll between and in contact with said cylindrical walls.

17. A sound box comprising a comparatively stationary member, a movablediaphragm provided with a flange telescopically movable with respect tosaid stationary member, and attaching means arranged between said flangeand said stationary member to permit the vibration telescopically ofsaid flange with respect to said stationary member;

18. A sound box comprising a stationary wall, a comparatively rigidmovable Wall vibratory as a whole, and solid packing means arranged toroll between said Walls.

19. A sound box comprising a stationary contact with said walls.

20. A sound box comprising a stationary wall, a movable comparativelyrigid wall, vibratory as a whole, solid packing means arranged to rollbetween said walls, and means to vibrate said movable wall in accordancewith a sound record.

21. A sound box comprising a cylindrical wall, a diaphragm provided witha cylindrical wall, the vibration of said diaphragm being operative tocause said last-named wall to vibrate telescopically with respect tosaid first-named wall, and a packing between and contactingsubstantially tangentially with said walls.

22. A sound box comprising a cylindrical wall, a diaphragm provided witha cylindrical wall, the vibration of said diaphragm being operative tocause said last-named wall to vibrate telescopically with respect tosaid first-named wall, and a packingbe tween and contactingsubstantially tangentially with said'walls, said packing being circularin cross section.

' In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 27 day-of March A.D. 1911-.

LOUIS LUMIERE.

Witnesses:

GASTON JEANVIAUX, MARIN VACHONS.

